Apple contractor Foxconn ramps up hiring at China factories ahead of iPhone 17 launch

Apple's main contract manufacturer, Foxconn Technology Group, has ramped up recruitment efforts ahead of the September launch of the iPhone 17, offering higher pay and bonuses for assembly line workers at its plants in Zhengzhou and Shenzhen.

The world's largest iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, in central Hunan province, has started increasing pay scales to lure temporary workers.

A Tuesday post on WeChat by one of Foxconn's recruiting agencies said workers who stayed at the factory for three months would qualify for a bonus of up to 8,000 yuan (US$1,113), a significant hike from early July when the three-month bonus was up to 4,500 yuan.

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Workers can earn 28 yuan per hour, up from 23.5 yuan per hour in early July. The hourly rate was raised to 24 yuan in mid-July, 25 yuan later last month, and 27 yuan in early August, according to recruitment agency Zhengzhou Fugonglian Human Resources.

In Shenzhen, the tech hub in southern Guangdong province, Foxconn's Integrated Digital Product Business Group - responsible for smartphone manufacturing - is offering 26 yuan per hour for contract workers, according to a recruitment notice posted on WeChat on Wednesday. The notice said the rate lasts until November 30.

This photo taken on July 17, 2025 shows the Apple booth at the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua alt=This photo taken on July 17, 2025 shows the Apple booth at the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua>

In the same factory, workers responsible for other products earn a lower rate. For example, the post said that the Bluetooth earphone unit paid 22 yuan per hour.

Taiwan-based Foxconn, officially known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, entered its peak recruitment season in July and will conduct "increasing recruitment efforts in the coming period to meet production needs", according to state-backed newspaper Securities Times, citing the company's human resources assistant manager Fang Siming, who is based in Zhengzhou.

Opened in 2010, the Zhengzhou facility contributed roughly 60 per cent of the total trade volume of Henan province, according to Fang.

However, Foxconn has faced a number of challenges in recent years.

In late 2022, there were significant disruptions to the Zhengzhou output when thousands of Foxconn workers fled in fear of draconian Covid-19 control measures.

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Earlier that year, Foxconn had offered a three-month stay bonus of 10,000 yuan, and the hourly rate peaked at 31 yuan in late August that year, to keep production on track.

The Covid-19 episode prompted Apple to increase production outside of China. In India, Apple has expanded iPhone manufacturing at five local plants operated by both Foxconn and local giant Tata Group, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday, citing sources.

In a first for the country, India's manufacturing role would be extended to all four iPhone 17 models, including the premium Pro versions, according to Bloomberg.

In April, iPhone shipments from India to the US surged 76 per cent year on year to roughly 3 million units, as US President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs on Chinese imports to as much as 145 per cent, while corresponding exports to the US from China fell about 76 per cent to 900,000 units, according to CNBC, citing market research firm Canalys.

Tata declined to comment, while neither Apple nor Foxconn responded to a request for comment on Wednesday.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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